TWIF: Vol. 20

1. Mattel to Distribute Ava DuVernay Barbie.

Just when you were about to give up on Hanukkah gifts for your niece (or, literally anyone else in your life), the Barbie goddesses drop some fire news: Mattel is making an Ava DuVernay doll and a trial run was released this week! This news is so huge for so many reasons, the first being that DuVernay--wildly talented director of films like Selma, as well as an outspoken feminist hero--is a black director and a woman in an industry that inherently undervalues her and people like her. Making a Barbiein her image (complete with a badass director’s chair, BTW) sends a powerful message to consumers that we, as a culture, are capable of celebrating and idolizing someone who speaks truth to systematic oppression. We are ready to see women of color in positions of power. Which on the one hand is like, they never needed your permission anyway so #bye; but on the other hand, it’s like little girls need to see and hear this mass-produced message. BRB, furnishing our apartments with 1,000 Ava Barbies.

2. #HackAHairDryer.

Next time you see them, be sure to give the Men in Science a big ol’ “You Tried!” pat on the back, but be gentle--they may still be recovering from this uber awkward attempt-at-inclusivity-gone-wrong forever known as #HackAHairdryer, meant to engage the women in the sciences after all this time that we have been absent. FINALLY, someone made science relevant to femininity. As many women in STEM have (hilariously) said to IBM--the company that launched the campaign this week: women don’t need to be coaxed into the sciences, it’s the sciences that need to be encouraged to accept women. So, while efforts toward inclusivity are important, this specific one kinda misses the point. R.I.P., IBM.

3. Racism, Xenophobia, Fascism: American Politics.

This week, the U.S. reached a new low when we allowed a frontrunner for the Republican party in the race for the Presidency to make public his idea that the nation should temporarily bar all Muslims from entrance to the States regardless of circumstance. Babbling nonsense is nothing new for Donny J., but this time even his right-wing cohorts were like, “Yo, that’s dumb.” If nothing else, it’s nice to hear that most commentators are able to hear this man’s statement for what it is: Islamophobia, xenophobia, fascism, and plain old racism. He really managed to pack a whole lot of nutrients in that garbage smoothie of his. Can somebody get this guy a free boost (out of country)??? P.S., on our Facebook page, we asked y’all of you thought this was a feminist issue; most of you said yes, a few of you were rather tentative. If you think more about it, we’d love to hear your thoughts.

4. Rowan Blanchard Gets A Feminist Encore.

God save the Queen: Rowan Blanchard is back with more feminist wisdom to deliver unto us plebes. The 14-year-old (!!!) Girl Meets World star we heard from a few months ago, is back to blessing us all with feminist truths--this time about #SquadGoals. Blanchard shines an unflattering light upon the trend of women virtually collecting other women who are tall, thin, and usually white in order to draw praise for being mega ~feminist~ by supporting so many other women. We’ve seen this process with the likes of TSwift, who has indeed been criticized (and mocked, like a lot) for ostensibly using other women as props to build up her own feminist appearance. Yikes. The cool thing about Blanchard, though, is that A) she never explicitly calls out Tay, and B) instead of making fun of her, Blanchard talks about the importance of genuine sisterhood and inter-woman relationships. UGH she’s so smart. Like, hello?? How about world, meet GIRL--not the other way around.

5. London Caught The THINX Bug.

‘Ello poppets! (Is that overdone yet?) Avid followers of our beloved Instagram will know that a few of us from the team are in London for an innovation event called "Most Contagious" that Miki, our fearless leader and She-EO, spoke at on Wednesday. We were also nominated for a cool lil’ award, and... we won! THINX is officially the “Most Contagious Startup (Small But Perfectly Formed)!" It was been such an honor to be surrounded by so many innovative and cutting-edge companies; and further, it's so comforting to know that the Future is Female. AND THEN, we opened up ourpop-up shop with an incredible event with Maria Yueng of MarieYat, hosted by Nina Schuitemaker-Wichstrøm of FemFounders UK. Exhilarating feminist discussion was had, wherein we talked everything from the root of the menstrual taboo (like, is it 'cause periods represents creation, or lack thereof?!) to sexual awareness and education. Stop by our pop-up if you’re in London this week!

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